Don’t you hate those red light cameras?Well, American Traffic Solutions (ATS) cites a US Court of Appeals and says they are legal.In a press release, American Traffic Solutions, Inc., which serves more than 130 communities across the U.S. with red-light and speed camera programs, is applauding a ruling of the Seventh Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals, affirming the constitutionality of red-light photo-enforcement programs. The ruling (No. 08-1363 decided January 5, 2009) -— authored by the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Frank H. Easterbrook -— is a ground-breaking decision on photo enforcement programs with national implications.
“This decision effectively settles the issue of the constitutionality of photo-enforcement programs, confirming what our clients and hundreds of communities nationally have long argued,” said James Tuton, President and CEO of American Traffic Solutions. “Photo-enforcement is a legal, successfully proven tool that assists communities in improving public safety on local roadways.”
The Seventh Circuit held that issuing citations to vehicle owners (or lessees) without any evidence of who was actually driving the vehicle at the time of the traffic violation is constitutionally permissible. The Court rejected the violators’ argument that Chicago’s red-light camera system offended their due process rights and acclaimed the prudence of the city’s system.
Chicago’s photo enforcement program, like most red-light and speed camera programs nationally, issues citations to the registered owners of vehicles that run red lights or violate speed limits. Of the 25 states where photo traffic enforcement is used, only programs in Arizona, California, Oregon and Colorado actually photograph the drivers of the offending vehicles.
“Is it rational to fine the owner rather than the driver? Certainly so,” Chief Judge Easterbrook wrote in the Court’s ruling. “A camera can show reliably which cars and trucks go through red lights but is less likely to show who was driving. That would make it easy for owners to point the finger at friends or children -— and essentially impossible for the City to prove otherwise. A system of photographic evidence reduces the costs of law enforcement and increases the proportion of all traffic offenses that are detected; these benefits can be achieved only if the owner is held responsible,” the Court stated.
The Court also found that imposing a fine on the owner of the vehicle rather than the driver not only “improves compliance with traffic laws” but has the additional benefit of encouraging owners to take greater care in lending their cars. “Owners will take more care when lending their cars and often they can pass the expense on to the real wrongdoer,” according to the Court.
Additionally, the fact that Illinois state law -— unlike Chicago’s city law -— fines drivers, rather than owners, for violations of traffic laws has no bearing on the constitutionality of the city’s red-light camera system, according to the ruling. The Court concluded that cities may adopt traffic enforcement methods that conflict with the state’s methods without offense to the Constitution.
The Court also addressed the issue of revenues derived from photo traffic enforcement systems. “That the City’s system raises revenues does not condemn it,” according to the Court. “Taxes, whether on liquor or on running red lights, are valid municipal endeavors. Like any other exaction, a fine does more than raise revenue: It also discourages the taxed activity. A system that simultaneously raises money and improves compliance with traffic laws has much to recommend it and cannot be called unconstitutionally whimsical.”
Shaw Group
The Shaw Group Inc. announced today that it has received an additional commitment from an existing lender to extend $45 million of that lender’s commitment under Shaw’s credit facility for an additional year. With this extension, Shaw maintains the current $1.053 billion of commitments under the credit facility through April 25, 2010, and $874 million through April 25, 2011. Shaw also retains the right to utilize up to $200 million of its cash, under certain circumstances to collaterize additional letters of credit outside the credit facility. Shaw retains the total approved capacity of $1.25 billion available for additional commitments through the April 25, 2011, extension date.
Brian K. Ferraioli, Shaw’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, said, “We are very pleased that financial institutions continue to show their support and confidence in Shaw during these difficult credit markets.”
Online Education
Yesterday, the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) officially opened registration for its groundbreaking program LCTCSOnline. The initiative is one of the first in the country that is offering individuals online access to education and a one-stop choice of institutions, as well as access to course work through their cell phone.
LCTCSOnline provides a single website where students can register for and attend online courses offered by the state's community college campuses. If a potential student has Internet access, that individual can begin changing the course of their educational future without ever having to step foot on a college campus.
This new initiative is the latest in LCTCS' efforts to address the state's lagging educational attainment level, which ranks 50th for individuals age 25-64 with an associate's degree according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The online initiative also supports the system's mission to greatly improve Louisiana's workforce both in numbers and educational attainment as well as contribute to the overall economic viability of the state. To fully meet the current workforce shortage, LCTCS will need to enroll 160,000 students, an almost 300 percent increase to its latest fall enrollment of 59,506 students.
LCTCS collaborated with AT&T Mobility to ensure that LCTCSOnline courses would be compatible with the company's mobile devices. AT&T is offering special promotions to the first registrants of the program. Individuals will be able to select from offers such as free Blackberry Curves to the first 100 participants, $25 off the purchase price for mobile devices and accessories, along with other special offers*.
LCTCSOnline has recruited and hired exceptional faculty to teach the online courses. The courses are taught using a combination of instructional technologies that vary for each course and include video tutorials, PowerPoint presentations, discussion groups and other interactive learning activities. Students are also provided online library resources, online tutoring and 24-hour a day technical support.
Interested students may select a home college from the participating community colleges during the launch. The community colleges are: Bossier Parish Community College (Bossier), DelgadoCommunity College (New Orleans), ElaineP.NunezCommunity College (Chalmette), RiverParishesCommunity College (Sorrento), SouthLouisianaCommunity College (Lafayette), and SOWELATechnicalCommunity College (Lake Charles). Baton Rouge Community College (Baton Rouge), L.E.FletcherTechnicalCommunity College (Houma), LouisianaDeltaCommunity College (Monroe), and the technical college campuses are not offering courses during the initial launch, but will be brought on board at a later date. All courses taken through LCTCSOnline can be transferred back to any one of the LCTCS' seven community colleges, two technical community colleges, or 37 technical college campuses.
Tuition for courses offered by LCTCSOnline is $63 per credit hour, and financial aid is available for eligible students. There are no additional fees, and the tuition is the same for both in-state and out-of-state students.
Classes begin January 26. To register for courses, visit www.lctcsonline.edu.
* Offers require 2-year service agreements & applicable rate plans. Only enrolled students are eligible for the offers. Eligible students will receive application information from LCTCSOnline staff.
Unemployment
UI claims files for week ending December 20, 2008: Initial claims increased to 5,976 for the week ending December 20, 2008, from 3,831 for the week ending December 13, 2008. Because of temporary layoffs, initial claims increased in the NAICS Industry Code 327 for Nonmetallic Mineral Product. UI continued weeks claimed increased to 33,110 for the week ending December 20, 2008, from 31,396 for the prior week.
Homeland Security and Sen. Landrieu
Here is yesterday’s press release from US Senator Landrieu (D-La) after meeting with the new projected Homeland Security nominee:
United States Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., today met with Governor Janet Napolitano, D-Ariz., the Homeland Security Secretary nominee, to discuss a variety of issues facing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) — including those of critical significance to Louisiana and the GulfCoast. Sen. Landrieu and Gov. Napolitano had a phone conversation in December, during which they discussed the need for Stafford Act reform and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) lack of a comprehensive disaster housing plan.
“I was very happy to sit down with Governor Napolitano and talk with her about some of my priorities and Louisiana’s priorities for fixing and strengthening FEMA,” said Sen. Landrieu, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Disaster Recovery Subcommittee,. “Keeping FEMA at its status quo is wholly unacceptable. An agency that is so buried in bureaucracy will never be able to help a survivor of any disaster. FEMA must be agile, quick and empowered.
“One of the highlights of our meeting was that Governor Napolitano committed to come down and visit Louisiana and the GulfCoast. She wants to get on the ground and talk to the people about why the recovery is taking so long and what she can do as the new Homeland Security Secretary. She told me that she wants to come before hurricane season, and I believe that people in our state would be very happy to see that. I am working now to start on that schedule, hopefully for sometime between February and April.
“We must get the job done right for Louisiana and the GulfCoast. It is great news that Gov. Napolitano seemed completely committed to achieving that.”
I have very little faith in the 'Change' mantra or jandra or agenda or wutever its token moniker is... Obama is stepping into a 1 trillion dollar deficit, which in reality is a 2 trillion dollar deficit that is hiding the other 2 trillion waiting in the hallway........ All we can do is what we can do to help straighten this mess out... If his administration doesn't want to listen, oh well, what else is new?????? But seriously, what can 300+ million American folks do about 5+ trillion dollars in debt and obligations????? Written by
on 1/6/2009
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The last sentence on the link above "Economic crises, Obama response face new congress" is interesting: "With that in mind, Obama promises 'very concrete, serious plans for midterm and long-term fiscal discipline.'" I think gvernment will HAVE to trim wasteful spending. The economic crises will also eliminate many of the ill-advised loans we have had in the recent decade; it will cause people to be more frugal - holding onto their vehicles for more years for example; it will lead to our citizens having less debt and more savings. Although infrastructure building is fine, trying to get out of the "economic crises" thru government make-work programs has pitfalls, as described in the article linked below.
http://mises.org/story/3279
Written by kpf
on 1/6/2009
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And if we aren't being 'fined' or 'taxed', we are being 'restricted'..... And when those tactics don't work in an expedient fashion, we import foreign ambitions and values to help finish us off..................... Written by
on 1/6/2009
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" ... a fine does more than raise revenue: It also discourages the taxed activity" - which of course - is why we tax wages and business revenue. Written by zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
on 1/6/2009
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Provisional contracts for two 1,117 MWe AP1000 reactors {THE WESTINGHOUSE REACTOR} at the Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Generating Station have estimated final costs of approximately $4.9 billion per reactor, or approximately $4,386,750.00 per Mwe production capability construction cost….. On April 9, 2008, Georgia Power Company reached a contract agreement for two AP1000 reactors {WESTINGHOUSE REACTOR} to be built at Vogtle at an estimated final cost of $14 billion, when taking into account the estimated 1154 MWe generation capacity as that which is claimed for The Westinghouse/Shaw Groups China National Nuclear Corp. project as a benchmark for cost analysis that would equate out to or approximately $6,065,857.00 per MWe production capability construction cost….. And when considering the Shaw Groups China National Nuclear Corp. project on a stand-alone basis for 4 units at 8 billion, if that is indeed the correct contract value, that would equate out to or approximately $1,733,102 per MWe production capability construction cost….. CONVERSLY, considering the stated cost of the Hyperion miniature portable nuclear reactor that is estimated to be capable of producing 25 MWe at a projected sales price of $25,000,000.00 per unit on a global basis, that value equates out to approximately $1,000,000.00 per Mwe production capability construction/delivery price/cost….. So let me see if I can figure this properly, from an investment side of things that is,,, Shaw Group at $1.7 million per MWe of generation production capability construction costs in China, and why it is so out of proportion with what the United States is charged I have no idea, where is the profit in that? As well as the Shaw Groups $ 4 million dollars to 6 million dollars + per MWe of generation production capability construction costs in the United States =’s a “Good Investment prospect”? And its closest competition, Hyperion which has an estimated $1 million dollar per MWe of generation production capability construction costs around the globe =’s? Folks, if I were betting on the track, I would take a sleek race horse at 1 million versus a state sanctioned nag at 4 million to 6 million any day….. I would wonder who the existing lender that is dolling out an additional commitment is? Oh, perhaps it is the same one that is betting that federal funds will still be sent to build offshore barrier islands and flood protection mediums at 5 times the costs necessary for these works….. It sounds to me that America is getting screwed on yet another ‘ahemmmmmmm business deal’……. DO I HEAR BAILOUT IN THE UPCOMMING MONTHS OR YEARS WHERE THIS SUBJECT IS CONCERNED??????? Written by
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